Private equity pulls back from real estate deals

by Steve Randall02 Aug 2018

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Private equity pulls back from real estate deals

The private equity sector appears to have cooled regarding investment in real estate.

A total of 1,295 transactions were completed globally in Q2 with a combined value of $62bn, including 921 in North America. The global total is down from 1,623 deals worth a total of $77bn seen in Q1 according to industry analysts Preqin.

Despite the Q2 totals expected to rise by up to 10% as more information becomes available, the period remains some way off the record $102bn in deal making seen in Q4 2017.

“Although private equity real estate deal activity has fallen for a second consecutive quarter in 2018, it doesn’t necessarily mean the industry should start to worry,” said Tom Carr, head of equity products. “Even if activity has fallen below levels seen through most of 2017, the first half of 2018 has still seen activity on par with levels recorded in 2016 and 2015.”

Residential deals accounted for a growing proportion of deal value over the past year: transactions for residential assets accounted for 15% of deal value in Q2 2017 but accounted for 27% in Q2 2018.

Although office assets continued to make up just over a quarter (27%) of transactions, they fell in deal value proportions, from 36% in Q2 2017 to 28% in Q2 2018.

“The majority of investors and fund managers surveyed by Preqin are concerned about valuations in the real estate deal market,” added Carr. “In response, fund managers might be shifting towards smaller deals; Q2 saw a significant rise in the proportion of total deal value deployed in transactions valued at less than $50mn.”

Carr added that there has also been a shift of capital being put to work in residential real estate which reflects investors’ view that that these assets provide some of the best opportunities currently.